What Makes Me Beautiful to God

What Makes Me Beautiful to God

What makes me beautiful to God,

Is what makes me beautiful to you:

This broken heart inside of me

Keeps me on my knees:

This makes me beautiful to God.

These are the hands of the warrior:

Rugged and calloused and strong.

These are the hands that stand in the gap, Lord,

All the day through and night long.

This makes me beautiful to God.

This broken heart inside of me

Keeps me on my knees:

This makes me beautiful to God.

These are the knees of Your servant:

Broken and trembling and sore.

At the foot of Your cross,

Where we reach for the lost:

This makes me beautiful to God.

This broken heart inside of me

Keeps me on my knees:

This makes me beautiful to God.

He's Strong Enough

He's Strong Enough

The thief on the left

Hollered out to our Lord,

"If You are the Christ,

Come down off of that cross

And save Yourself."

He never said a word,

He never budged an inch,

He took the weight of my sins

And carried me with Him.

(ch)

Cause He's strong enough 

To carry me

All the way to the cross

Into eternity!

When He prayed in the Garden,

"Not My will but Thine,

Let it pass from Me, O God;

Father, I make it Mine."

I was in His heart,

When He cried that night,

For strength to carry me

Into the fight.

(ch)

Cause He's strong enough 

To carry me

All the way to the cross

Into eternity! (x2)

My Jesus Walked

My Jesus Walked

And God said, "Let there be light."

and there was Light.

And the Light said,

"I am the Way, Follow Me.

I am the Truth, I'll set you free.

I am the Life lived eternally.

I am the Son 

of the One

and only God."

My Jesus walked out of glory

into a world shamed by sin.

He turned His back on His homeland,

and ransomed us for His own.

And God said, "Let us make man

in Our own image, after Our likeness,

with authority, dominion."

and man said,

"I was afraid, so I ran and hid

myself from Your glory,

'cause of what I did.

I could not face You,

in my condition,

for Lord You are holy,

perfect and true."

My Jesus walked out of glory

into a world shamed by sin.

He turned His back on His homeland,

and ransomed us for His own.

And God said, "This is My Son,

My Beloved, indeed.

In this My Son,

I am well pleased."

and the Son said,

"This is the day,

My kingdom is near.

Repent of your sins,

Bring yourself near."

My Jesus walked out of glory

into a world shamed by sin.

He turned His back on His homeland,

and ransomed us for His own.

He ransomed me for His own.

There's A Crown

There's a crown there for me

At the throne of His Grace,

Where the once-chained are free

There's a crown there .. for me .........

Because I laid it at Your feet

The One Who died for me;

Everything I have I give .. to you..

Every jewel, every stone

Everyone that was my own,

All to You, my Lord, my God,

My King.

Exchange my helmet for a crown

Which I'll surrender when I'm home

Where the worshipers do sing

There's a crown there..for me...

Because I laid it at Your feet

The One Who died for me;

Everything You gave to me

I give to You..

Every jewel, every stone

Everyone that was my own,

All to You, my Lord, my God,

My King.

My Everything....

Revealed

Fractal Art Light Symphonia

Revealed

I am Fire

I am Wind

I am Water

I am Friend

I am the God of the ages

the Wisdom of sages

I am Power

to live again.

Take hold of Me

Hang on tight

Never let Me go

Hold on with all of your might

For in your weakness

I am Strong

In your shadows

I am Light

In your moment of truth I am revealed

And in your heart,

My Promise is sealed.

You are Fire

You are Wind

You are Water

You are Friend

You are the God of the ages

the Wisdom of sages

You are Power

to live again.

I take hold of You

I hang on tight

Never let You go

Hold on with all of my might.

In my weakness You are Strong

In my shadows You are Light

In my darkest hour, I can walk in Power

You won't leave me, You are here.

You Don't Even See Me Cry

Matthew 25:41-45

(this song is dedicated to Kyle and Natalie C)

written August 8,2008

Family Camp

I stand on an empty corner

My cup is empty, my well is dry

Reaching out my hand to you

But you walk by, you walk by

You don't even see me cry.

I shiver and shake in winter's winds

My filthy rags barely cover my skin

Reaching out my hand to you

But you walk by, you walk by

You don't even see me cry.

I was thirsty in a thirsty land!

And no water you gave to me

I was naked in a season of loss

And no raiment was laid on me.

But you walked by, you walked by

You didn't even see me cry.

I hid in a darkened alley

Searching meals from dirty bins

Reaching out my hand to you

But you walked by, you walked by

You didn't even see me cry.

I'm chained in a dark, cold prison

Hope and faith don't recognize me

Reaching out my hand to you

But you walk by, you walk by

You don't even see me cry.

I was hungry in a blanket of waste!

And no sustenance was given me.

I was behind iron bars and stone!

Yet no freedom was offered me.

My name is Savior!

Saving even the least of these.

My name is Fountain of Living Water

Quenching thirst for righteousness.

My name is Holy Father, Creator

I cover you with My blood.

My name is Bread of Life, and Manna

Multiplied to satisfy hunger

For more of Me

For more of Me

My name is Jesus! Redeemer!

Releasing you from your sins.

All you have to do

Is reach out your hand

to Me.

But you walk by, you walk by

You don't even see Me cry.........

Ya Think?

Cuddin' Jake and I wrote this song over ten years ago. I think he was about 11.

One More Person

One More Person

(written for my friend Brenda W)

My altars are empty

My pews are bare

My doors are closed and locked

No one is there.

But one more person

Has opportunity

One more person

Will give his heart to Me

One more person
Will walk through My Door

One more person

Will kneel on My floor

One more person

To call My Name

One more person
To take My Hand.

One more person

Will answer My call

One more person

Will surrender his all.

And though My pews are empty

My altars bare

This is My house

I am still here.

Songs in the Night

(www.wallpaperswide.com)
Job 35:10 "But none say, Where is God my Maker, Who gives songs in the night?"

I never had to say that before. You know, that part about where God is. My only question lately is "Where is my song in the night?" Why can't I hear them? Not all of them have left entirely. I get glimpses and sparks, but sometimes the songs just fly away, ahead of me.

I can't even sing right now. It's as if someone takes my breath when I open my mouth to sing. Even a simple inhalation is exhausting. The very energy I need to live and breathe is under attack. But it's alright you know. Cause I know where God my Maker is.

He's right here with me. Not only does God hold my hand, He holds me in HIS hand. Hold hands with someone. Right now. Where is your hand? Outside the other person's hand? Is there a little space, emptiness, perhaps between your two hands? Are you afraid to hold hands with the person next to you? Grasp, clasp, embrace the hand that holds yours. And you will find that the other will do the same. You are in his/her hand. He/she is in yours. For dear life. And, life is dear, indeed. God holds you and I like that when we hold onto Him.

When I sit up for more than a few minutes, the knot in my back clenches, and I have to lay down. Which is why having this nice glider/recliner by my desk is beyond wonderful. Sometimes, though, even that isn't enough. Course, then I can't reach the keyboard. And, no, I can't use a journal any more. I can't write neatly enough for it to be legible. And most of the shorthand I knew is gone. I'm getting tired now. And I have only been up an hour.

I do not like being this sick. I am tired now and I have only been up an hour. Of course, writing in here takes energy too. Talking is draining. Hobbling is draining. Taking a shower is dangerous. Our tub is narrow and a normal shower chair is too big. When I get dizzy, I hold onto the shower rail. And then I have to get out. But the shower massager nozzle is the only thing that gives relief. Cause it massages my head like you wouldn't believe.

I was searching for a really beautiful image of song in the night, and before I switched to image search the Holy Spirit brought me here: "Songs in the Night" by C.H. Spurgeon. He's my favorite. And I wanted to share it with you. http://www.biblebb.com/files/spurgeon/2558.htm.

Higher Ground

photo courtesy of http://mmbenya.com/goats-mountain-climbers/mountain-goat/

You gotta go to this site and check out the other photographs and stories. It's awesome.

While I was contemplating being in extreme pain tonight, the old hymn classic "Higher Ground" came to mind and I had to look it up. (And of course, this site being what it is, I needed the appropriate picture to go with it. Isn't that one amazing?) I was thinking that a significant part of my body being under attack daily is also a spiritual attack on me daily. The more I testify of God's redeeming grace through Jesus Christ, the more my body suffers. That may seem silly to some, but to me it is real.

The pain and anguish Job endured was both physical and spiritual. God did not bring any of the horrific tragedies into His servant's life. Job's grief and illness and mental torture were brought on because God knew Job would remain faithful to God throughout the entire ordeal. Job's righteousness was Satan's target. If the devil could bring down God's faithful worshiper and friend, then God would be wrong. And we all know GOD IS NEVER WRONG. Job showed us that HOW we go THROUGH our trials is just as important as WHY we go THROUGH our trials.

Satan hurls darts at God's faithful servants, desiring to take us out of commission. The devil is prideful and self-righteous. He wants what belongs to God. He could not take out God and gain control of God's throne in heaven, so he is coming after what belongs to God here on Earth. And darts they are. Darts of grief: parents bury a child. Darts of sorrow: children bury their parents. Darts of misfortune: stocks fall and banks close. Darts of anxiety: worry and fret. Darts of disease: pandemic illnesses flood the globe. And those are just the obvious darts.

In the devil's arsenal are also darts of misconception. Disguised darts, if you will. What appears to be right isn't always the right thing to do. It is the "appearance" of goodness that will land a man or a woman in trouble with both mankind and God. But it is the knowledge AND understanding of what is righteous and holy that will lead both men and women in the direction of salvation and redemption.

You can know about God. Sunday School and catechism teach us about God. You can know of God. Every religion has a god. But to truly KNOW GOD, you and I need to seek GOD, listen to GOD's WORD, hear what GOD has to SAY and do what GOD wants us to do. How well do you know your best friend? Your spouse? Your sweetheart? Are you enjoying an intimate relationship with GOD, too? Or is He just a long-distance relative?

Verses 3 and 4 of "Higher Ground"

I want to live above the world

Tho' Satan's darts at me are hurled;

For faith has caught the joyful sound

The song of saints on higher ground.

I want to scale the utmost height

And catch a gleam of glory bright

But still I'll pray till Heav'n I've found

"Lord, lead me on to higher ground"

chorus

Lord, lift me up

and let me stand

by faith

on heaven's tableland,

A higher plane

than I have found;

Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.

{words by Johnson Oatman, Jr.)